How I Found My First Graphic Design Clients
Finding your first clients as a new designer is arguably the hardest part when it comes to running a design business. It’s the old predicament of nobody hiring you without experience, but you can’t get experience when nobody hires you. So, here are a few things that helped me land my first clients and build my design business.
1: Word of Mouth
My first ever branding project was for my best friend’s family member who I was recommended to. I remember being so nervous and excited taking my first (very casual) client meetings and presenting the designs. Word of mouth is an amazing way to find clients because you start off on the right foot with some level of trust from the very start! It’s a little intimidating in the beginning to talk about your business, because a lot of us aren’t taking ourselves seriously yet so we wonder if other people will. Friends and their families have continued to support my business to this day, and if you’re fortunate enough to have people like that in your life let them know you’re wanting clients! They aren’t mind readers and may just think you’re booked out otherwise!
2: Charity Pro-Bono Projects
I’ll be honest - I absolutely did some free projects at the beginning. One of my earliest was a banner for an event at a local night club, and I felt creating this for an event that was raising funds for an important issue while gaining experience was absolutely worthwhile. This night club ended up hiring me to create other event banners and to be part of a content creation group, so it did actually bring in future work - but be careful as a lot of the time this kind of situation is an empty promise and a way for others to use you and get free work.
3: Instagram
I started my IG as a way to get feedback on my work and figure out what to include at my University exhibition at the end of my degree (after losing pretty much everything to an external drive - whoops!) This is one of the most beneficial choices I made in terms of my business for SO many reasons. It helped me figure out what area of design to focus on, it served as an interactive portfolio where I could send potential clients, and it gave me support from fellow designers that helped me build the confidence to share my work (which I found incredibly scary when I first started - I used to do majority of my uni projects at home because I didn’t want people to judge what I made half way through). Although I understand the importance of not solely relying on Instagram for your business, it continues to be the main source of my enquiries. If you’re unsure if it’s worth putting time and money into it in terms of learning to use it effectively, I absolutely recommend it!
4: Facebook Groups
I found my first few international clients through Facebook groups, mostly from pages like “Women In Business” and “LMBDW”. If you have a clear niche this would be an even easier way to find clients because you know that’s where they’re all hanging out! For example your targeting local hair dressers, you can join groups full of hair dressers in your area on Facebook!
5: Return Clients
Once I found my first few clients I did everything I could to keep them happy so they would hire me again. It’s easier to keep a client than to find a new one, and it also looks good in your portfolio when clients rehire you because it lets people know they enjoyed the process and were happy with the outcome. If you have a client already, don’t be afraid to ask them if they need help with anything else (or better yet, show them how else you can support their business through your services).
Let me know how you got your foot in the door as a newbie in the comments section on my IG post, I’d love to know and I’m sure other designers just starting out would find it helpful too!
